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Egleston Main Streets head takes City job

Egleston Square Main Streets (ESMS) Executive Director Betsy Cowan is leaving her position after five years.

Cowan will join the City’s Office of Business Development starting mid-December.

“This is bittersweet, given the love I have for this community, the great work we’re doing, and the amazing network of relationships here, but I’m enthusiastic about this new opportunity to advocate for small businesses,” Cowan told the Gazette.

ESMS is a nonprofit business promotion and historic preservation organization. It is a key Egleston institution that has been especially active under Cowan’s leadership.

ESMS will hire an interim executive director for the next few months before hiring a full-time replacement, she said.

“I’m enthusiastic about this opportunity for the organization to continue growing, to select a fabulous new director and to move in new and exciting directions,” Cowan said.

“The Egleston Square Main Street Board of Directors has big shoes to fill, but I know that the talent is out there and they will be successful in this transition. We look forward to having Betsy work from the City side in providing necessary business services to all the businesses of Boston,” Sheila Dillon, director of the City’s Department of Neighborhood Development, said in a press release.